This invention relates to pesticides, insecticides and insect repellant compositions and, more particularly, to such compositions which are highly effective in killing a wide range of insects while also being non-toxic to humans, animals, and the environment.
Substantial effort has been expended by a wide variety of entities in attempting to develop highly effective pesticides, particularly insecticide and/or insect repellents, which are capable of eradicating or controlling insects which destroy ornamental and agricultural plants, crops, trees, etc. or which attack, harm, or annoy humans and animals. Particularly bothersome for humans and animals are blood-sucking insects, such as mosquitos, ticks, fleas, lice, etc. These insects are annoying as well as possibly harmful due to the potential transmission of diseases. Although substantial need has existed in the industry for products which control or eradicate these insects, prior art attempts have failed to provide effective formulations which are capable of fully eradicating or controlling insects, while also being non-toxic to humans and animals.
In an attempt to meet the consumer demand for products of this nature, various pesticides, insecticides and insect repellant formulations have been developed. However, these prior art formulations typically incorporate active ingredients which are highly toxic to humans and to many animals. Consequently, the usable concentration of these toxic chemicals must be reduced, typically to the point of rendering the resulting formulation ineffective in providing the desired killing effect.
Another problem that exists with prior art pesticides is the ability of the insects to become resistant or immune to the pesticide. Due to the highly adaptive nature of most insects and the manner in which pesticides typically function, many prior art insecticides are effective initially, but lose their effectiveness over time due to insect developed immunity or resistance.
Insects which cause injury to plants, crops, trees, food supplies, humans and animals have existed for centuries and have always been considered as pests. Virtually all of these pests are members of the phylum Arthropoda, which comprises about 75% of known animal species. More than 930,000 arthropod species have been described and over 6,000,000 species are estimated to exist.
Of particular importance to the present invention are the species of arthropods found in the classes Insecta, Arachnida, Anoplura, and Siphonaptera. The need for pest control by developing pesticides dates back to ancient times, where fumigation was employed in an attempt to control pests on plant growth. In this century, numerous chemical formulations have been developed. Initially, inorganic metallic compounds were used as the principal active ingredients. More recently, purely organic pesticides have been employed.
One most well-known organic pesticide which has been developed and which has been particularly effective is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Although this compound was found to have extraordinary insecticidal properties and had been widely used as one of the most effective pesticides, its use has now been banned in the United States and in other countries due to its more recently discovered toxicity to humans and animals.
Following the discovery of the efficacy of DDT, numerous other organochlorides, such as cyclodienes were developed as practical pesticides, with further discoveries revealing organophosphate compounds as highly effective pesticides. However, as use of these chemical compounds grew, the deleterious effects of these compounds were also discovered and their use was restricted.
Another group of pesticides that have been employed in the prior art comprise pyrethroids or pyrethrins. Compounds, coming within this classification, have been widely used in a wide variety of insecticides and insect repellant products. However, although originally effective, the pyrethroids are examples of pesticides which are now increasingly ineffective, due to acquired resistance by the insects. Presently, many insects have developed resistance or immunity to the insecticidal effect of the pyrethroids and, as a result, these compounds are increasingly unusable for effectively controlling undesirable insects and pests.
While other attempts have been made to eliminate the toxicity of pesticides or develop non-toxic pesticides, these attempts have failed to provide a completely effective, non-toxic pesticide. In particular, most of these prior art pesticides are non-biodegradable, causing the pesticide to continuously build up in the soil and, subsequently, in the food chain. This long-term build up has been found to be particularly hazardous to the long-term health of the population. As a result, use of many such pesticides has been either banned or severely restricted by recent legislation.
Although the need for an effective, non-toxic, biodegradable pesticide has existed for decades, an effective pesticide has not been realized. As an alternative, non-chemical methods have been used. However, little success has been attained with non-chemical methods. As a result, in addition to these non-chemical methods, pesticides continue to be used in limited concentrations with reduced efficacy.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an effective pesticide which is capable of providing long-term control and eradication of a wide range of insects which attack or feed on plants, crops, trees, animals, and humans without harming the plants, crops, trees, animals, or humans coming in contact with the pesticide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pesticide having the characteristic features described above which is completely non-toxic to humans, animals, and the environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pesticide which effectively functions as an insecticide for killing a wide range of insects as well as an acaricide for controlling lice, mites and ticks.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insecticide having the characteristic features described above which is completely biodegradable and completely safe for application directly to desired plants, humans and animals.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an insecticide having the characteristic features described above which is not harsh or irritating to the skin of humans and animals and can be safely applied, without harm, to skin, scalp, or hair.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insecticide having the characteristic features described above which kills insects in a manner that prevents the insects from developing a resistance or immunity thereto.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insecticide having the characteristic features described above which can be employed as an insect repellant without harmful side effects to the user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insecticide having the characteristic features described above which has no adverse effects on the food products produced by treated plants, crops, and trees, as well as no adverse effect on the soil or water.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
By employing the present invention, all of the prior art difficulties and drawbacks are completely eliminated and a safe, effective pesticide is attained. As detailed herein, the compositions of the present invention are particularly constructed for controlling insects and other members of the phylum arthropoda. In this regard, in addition to effectively controlling all conventional, harmful, and annoying insects, the compositions of the present invention also effectively control insects such as mites, ticks and lice. As a result, these compositions also function as acaracides, in addition to being insecticides. Consequently, it is to be understood that the use of the terms pesticides, insecticides and insect repellents are used interchangeably herein to broadly define the wide range of xe2x80x9cpestsxe2x80x9d for which the present invention is effective.
In addition to its broad applicability, the compositions of the present invention provides safe and highly effective insecticides, while also providing compositions which are non-toxic to humans, animals, and the environment. The compositions of this invention are non-toxic and fully biodegradable, causing no harm or injury to humans, animals, or water systems.
The chemical formulations of the present invention comprise organic compounds which have been uniquely combined to attain highly effective insecticide compositions previously unattainable by this industry. Although the individual organic compounds employed in the compositions of the present invention are generally well-known and have been widely used, the unique, novel and unobvious combination of these organic compounds achieves novel and unobvious compositions which provide a synergistic result and attain insecticide formulations which overcome all of the prior art difficulties and objections that have plagued the pesticide industry for decades.
By employing the unique chemical compositions of the present invention, insecticides and insect repellents are attained which are highly effective in controlling a wide range of insects that have previously wrecked havoc with plants, trees, crops, humans, and animals. In particular, the chemical formulations of the present invention function as contact sprays capable of killing insects virtually on contact, as well as lotions and shampoos for direct application to skin or hair.
In the composition of the present invention, avoidance of insect resistance or immunity is achieved by establishing insecticide compositions which are incapable of being rendered ineffective by subsequently developed resistance or immunity. In the present invention, the compositions of the present invention kill the undesirable insects by creating a barrier, such as film, or creating a reaction which inhibits and/or blocks the transfer of gases in the sensitive trachea of the insects. In this way, the compositions of the present invention kill the insects by interfering with the respiratory system of the insects. As a result, insects are incapable of developing an immunity or resistance to the compositions of this invention and long-term, effective use is assured.
Regardless of the method of application, the compositions of this invention have been found to be highly effective in killing stink bugs, caterpillars, a wide variety of ants, most flies, including fruit flies and white flies in particular, aphids, mealy bugs, mosquitoes, lice, mites, ticks, and the like. All of these insects are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, with most being in the class Insecta, Arachnida, Anoplura and Siphonaptera. The Insecta class is the largest and most diverse class in the animal kingdom, with over 750,000 different described species and an actual member of living species estimated to be three million. Although the insects identified above are not all inclusive, they represent the various principal classes, orders and families of arthropods against which the chemical compositions of the present invention have proven to be highly effective.
The insecticide compositions of the present invention are safely employed on humans, animals, plants, trees, crops, fruit tress and the like, as well as functioning as an effective general household product. One of the particular unique aspects of the compositions of the present invention is the ability of these compositions to function as highly effective insecticides, killing the wide variety of insects sought to be eradicated or controlled, while also being completely biodegradable and non-toxic to humans, animals and the environment, particularly the water systems. In addition, as detailed below, virtually every plant, tree, and crop upon which the chemical compositions of the present invention have been employed experienced virtually no adverse effects, while having the undesirable insects successfully eliminated.
Another unique aspect of the pesticide compositions of the present invention is the attainment of a highly effective and efficient pesticide which employs organic chemical compounds commonly employed in cosmetic products. As a result, the chemical compounds incorporated into the pesticide compositions of the present invention have all been used in cosmetic compositions approved by the FDA for safe use by humans. By employing this class of ingredients, the non-toxic safety of the resulting compositions is apparent and the ability to employ these compositions without in any way harming humans, animals, or the environment is readily apparent.
In view of the unique use of chemical compounds which have been commonly employed in the cosmetic field, the following detailed disclosure provides both the accepted chemical names of the ingredients, as well as the name employed for each compound or ingredient by the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA), as found in the CTFA International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, Fourth Edition. In this way, a full and complete disclosure of each and every chemical compound is provided.
Although the chemical compounds in the pesticide compositions of the present invention are individually commonly employed in cosmetic compositions, the use of these compounds as a pesticide represents a unique and unobvious departure from prior art teachings. Although these compounds have been commonly employed in products, there is no teaching or suggestion in the prior art that these products can be employed or combined in the manner detailed herein to attain the highly effective pesticide compositions achieved by the present invention.
In the present invention, it has been found that by employing one or more ethanolamine based compounds, in the manner detailed herein, all of the prior art difficulties and drawbacks are eliminated. In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, it has been found that the ethanolamine based compounds capable of attaining the results detailed herein are defined by Formula I, detailed below: 
In addition to employing one or more ethanolamine formatives as defined by Formula I, effective compositions can also be attained by employing one of the ethanolamine formatives defined by Formula I in a conjugated form. Preferably, the conjugated compound is selected from the group consisting of lauryl sulfuric acid and substituted aromatic compounds. In this regard, the preferred compounds employed for conjugation comprise one selected from the group consisting of compounds having the following formula:
CH3(CH210CH2Rxe2x80x3SO3H 
where Rxe2x80x3 is an oxygen molecule or a benzene ring.
One of the principal formatives of Formula I employed as an ingredient of the pesticides of the present invention is mono-ethanolamine. Mono-ethanolamine has the CTFA designation ethanolamine and is the monoamine that conforms to the formula:
NH2CH2CH2OH 
Mono-ethanolamine is also known as 2-aminoethanol.
Other formatives of Formula I which have been found to be most effective in forming the compositions of the present invention include diethanolamine and triethanolamine. Diethanolamine is the aliphatic amine that conforms to the following formula:
HN(CH2CH2OH)2 
Triethanolamine, also designated as TEA, is an alkanolamine that conforms to the following formula:
N(CH2CH2OH)3 
Several other formatives of Formula I have been found to be particularly effective in providing pesticide compositions in accordance with the present invention. These additional formatives are Coconut Polydiethanolamide, Coconut Diethanolamide (Cocamide DEA), Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate (TEA Lauryl Sulfate) and Triethanolamine Dodecylbenzenesulfonate (TEA Dodecylbenzenesulfonate).
Coconut Diethanolamide is a mixture of ethanolamides of coconut acid and has the following general formula: 
where RCO represents the fatty acids derived from coconut oil.
The chemical formula for coconut polydiethanolamide is presently unknown. However, it is believed that this composition is structurally similar to Coconut Diethanolamide and incorporates fatty acid radicals derived from coconut oil. However, coconut polydiethanolamide comprises a free amine radical that ranges between about 20% to 25% of the total composition. This compound is available under the trade name Compelan PD and is sold by Henkel Corporation of Hoboken, N.J.
Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate is the triethanolamine salt of lauryl sulfuric acid. This compound has the following general formula:
CH3(CH2)10CH2OSO3Hxc2x7N(CH2CH2OH)3 
Triethanolamine Dodecylbenzenesulfonate is the substituted aromatic compound and has the following general formula: 
These latter two compounds represent the preferred formatives of Formula I which are employed as conjugated compounds.
As fully detailed herein, by employing aqueous solutions of one or more ethanolamine formatives defined by Formula I, either independently or in combination, highly effective pesticides are attained which completely eliminate all of the prior art drawbacks and difficulties that have been incapable of being effectively satisfied. In addition, all of the insecticide compositions of the present invention are non-toxic to humans, animals, and the environment, enabling the insecticides to be freely used, in accordance with application instructions, without any adverse reactions occurring.
As detailed herein, the non-toxic, safe insecticides of the present invention have been proven to be highly effective in eliminating virtually all type of insects in the phylum Arthropod, particularly, those insects which have plagued humans, animals, plants, crops, trees, and the like. In addition, the compositions of the present invention operate in a manner which prevents the insects from developing an immunity or resistance thereto. Consequently, a safe, effective pesticide is achieved which can be used repeatedly without fear of the composition becoming ineffective.
In Table I, an overall formulation for an insecticide composition is provided which has been found to be effective for use on humans and animals. Due to the gentle, non-toxic nature of the compositions detailed in Table I, application directly to the skin or hair of humans or animals is easily attained without any adverse reactions. Furthermore, since these insecticide compositions can be employed directly on the skin surface, this composition can be used as an insect repellant as well as an insecticide.
In achieving a highly effective insecticide or insect repellent for use on humans, it has been found that the Compound of Formula I employed in this composition preferably comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of Mono-ethanolamine, Diethanolamine, Triethanolamine, Coconut Diethanolamide, and Coconut Polydiethanolamide. Generally, the mono-ethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, coconut diethanolamide or coconut polydiethanolamide can be employed virtually interchangeably, either individually or in combination, within the percent ranges detailed in Table I.
Although the use of any of these compounds, either independently or in combination achieves a highly effective insecticide, it has been found that mono-ethanolamine can be irritating to the eyes and mucus membranes, when used in higher concentrations. However, this compound has been found to provide a beneficial healing effect when applied to skin surfaces. Consequently, any formulation created for use on humans preferably does not include mono-ethanolamine, or does not include mono-ethanolamine in any quantity which would cause adverse reactions. In addition, mono-ethanolamine bearing compositions are employed on skin surfaces only, with care being exercised to prevent any contact with eyes, noses, or other mucus membranes.
It has also been found that although each of the preferred compounds detailed above can be used virtually interchangeably in order to attain any effective insecticide composition, coconut diethanolamine is preferred. In test results which are detailed below, coconut ethanolamide has been most effectively employed in the composition in the lowest concentration while still providing a highly effective insecticide composition. Consequently, although the other compounds detailed above can be employed with equal efficacy, a greater quantity of the other compounds may be required to attain an insecticide composition having equal capabilities.
In order to effectively apply the insecticide compositions defined in Table I, the compositions can be formed as a lotion, spray, or shampoo. As detailed below, experiments have proven that these compositions are completely effective in eradicating lice, mites and ticks from both humans and animals, as well as eliminating fleas from animals. Furthermore, when applied directly to the skin for use as an insect repellant, virtually 100% of all mosquito types tested were effectively repelled from the skin surfaces on which the compositions of the present invention were applied.
In Table II, one preferred formulation of the present invention for an insecticide employable on plants, trees, crops, etc. is provided. As shown therein, these formulations comprise aqueous solutions of Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate and Cocoamphocarboxyglycinate.
Cocoamphocarboxyglycinate, as employed in the preferred insecticide compositions detailed in Table II, is also known by the CTFA designation of Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate. This compound is an amphoteric organic compound that conforms to the following formula: 
where RCOxe2x80x94 represents the fatty acids derived from coconut oil.
By employing the composition defined in Table II, a highly effective insecticide is achieved for application to a wide variety of plants, trees, crops, etc.. Preferably, this composition is applied as a spray. As detailed in the following examples, this composition has been found to be particularly effective in killing a wide variety of insects in the phylum Arthropoda, particularly stink bugs, caterpillars, most ants, most flies, including fruit flies and white flies, aphids, mealy bugs, and the like.
If desired, the insecticide composition detailed in Table II can be prepared as a concentrate incorporating the desired relative quantities of Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate and Cocoamphocarboxylglycinate. The concentrate can be maintained in this form for extended time periods and diluted with the appropriate amount of water when desired for use. In this way, storage of the insecticide composition is attained in a more convenient manner, due to the substantially reduced quantity needed for storage in the undiluted form.
In most application situations, the insecticides of Table II are used as a spray in a single application, preferably under dry conditions. All of the foliage of the plant, crop, tree, etc. is sprayed with the insecticide in order to kill the unwanted insects. Any resistant insects can be safely eliminated in a second application which is made between about 30 minutes and 24 hours after the first application. By employing this procedure, safe and trouble-free eradication of unwanted insects is obtained.
In Table III, a further alternate insecticide composition is provided which has been found to be highly effective for use on plants, crops, trees, and the like.
As detailed in Table III, the principal ingredients of this insecticide composition comprise triethanolamine dodecyl-benzenesulfonate and an ethanolamine formative defined by Formula I. Preferably, the ethanolamine formative of Formula I comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, coconut diethanolamide and coconut polyethanolamide. In addition to these principal ingredients, the additional additives detailed in TABLE III can be employed, if desired.
It has been found that this insecticide composition is preferably prepared by mixing the ethanolamine formative of Formula I with the triethanolamine dodecylbenzenesulfonate and the laureth -4, if employed, into water and heating the composition to 50xc2x0 C. After heating to this temperature, the aqueous solution is allowed to cool. Once the aqueous solution has reached room temperature, the ammonium hydroxide and sodium lauryl sulfate, if employed, are added to the composition.
If desired, the insecticide composition may be prepared as a concentrate and stored for future use. In this way, whenever application is needed, the concentrated composition is diluted with water prior to application to the desired plants, crops, trees, etc.
In this regard, it has been found that the concentrated solutions of the insecticide composition of TABLE III preferably are formulated to be diluted at the rate of about 1 part of insecticide concentrate for every 200 parts of water. In this way, the desired dilution of the concentrated insecticide composition is realized and safe, non-hazardous application of the composition to the desired plants, crops, trees, etc. is attained, while still realizing the desired elimination and/or control of the unwanted insects.